There's Something Off About My Pokémon. [12]

"Vulpix, use Extrasensory on that steel bar!" Lu Cheng commanded.

Vulpix let out a cry, its eyes glowing faintly blue. As it focused its gaze, the steel bar began to bend slightly, though not by much—only about half the width of a finger. As the steel twisted, Vulpix let out an exhausted breath, its eyes dimming.

Lu Cheng was amazed. For Vulpix to be able to deform metal using psychic power, especially when it had just been born, truly lived up to the system's evaluation of its strong psychic abilities. He quickly stepped forward, picked up Vulpix, and handed it a Pecha Berry. Resting in Lu Cheng's arms, Vulpix grabbed the berry and began nibbling on it, juice splattering everywhere.

Lu Cheng pondered. In the games, Psychic-type moves usually only dealt damage, but in this real world, psychic power clearly wasn't limited to that. In the original Indigo League series, Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City, was able to shrink Ash and his friends with her psychic abilities. Compared to that, bending a spoon was child's play.

Extrasensory was one of the most powerful Psychic-type moves, and Lu Cheng was certain it had other potential uses. "How are you feeling? Rested?" he asked, looking at Vulpix in his arms. Though he didn't want to push it too hard, Lu Cheng knew they needed to continue training. Time was running out. Before the college entrance exams, there was still the practical test for Jiangnan University's Trainer Program. If Vulpix couldn't become battle-ready by then, getting into Jiangnan University would be difficult.

Vulpix perked up, jumping out of Lu Cheng's arms with a spirited cry. It possessed incredibly strong psychic powers—not only in its ability to use Psychic-type moves but also in its mental resilience.

"Great! This time, let's try something different. Vulpix, use Extrasensory on that brick, but don't break it!" The construction site was littered with red bricks, none of which had been reinforced with cement. They weren't particularly strong and could easily be destroyed by a Pokémon move. However, Lu Cheng wasn't asking Vulpix to destroy the brick; instead, he wanted Vulpix to try controlling its power.

Lu Cheng believed that if Extrasensory could be used for destructive purposes, it could also be used to restrain an opponent.

"Lift that brick with Extrasensory!" Vulpix nodded, and its eyes once again glowed blue. This time, it was more cautious as purple waves of psychic energy extended from its body toward the brick. Slowly, the brick began to rise—one centimeter, two centimeters... Until it was almost level with Vulpix's forehead, when it suddenly lost control. With a cry, the brick fell and shattered into pieces upon impact.

Vulpix looked up at Lu Cheng with a pitiful expression, as if to say it hadn't meant to mess up.

"It's okay, Vulpix, you did incredibly well." Lu Cheng crouched down, stroking the red fur on Vulpix's head, offering it the remaining half of a Pecha Berry. Vulpix affectionately nuzzled his palm as it ate.

To be honest, Lu Cheng was amazed. He had only suggested an idea that seemed possible, and Vulpix had managed to accomplish it! And to think, Vulpix had only been born a short while ago.

This Vulpix's potential might be even higher than Lu Cheng had initially thought. "System, can I check Vulpix's individual values?" he asked.

"Ding—To prevent the host from treating Pokémon differently based on individual values, individual values will not be disclosed. The host must determine this on their own." 

Lu Cheng nodded. It made sense. Some trainers would capture large quantities of a single species just to find one with higher potential. While there was nothing inherently wrong with this approach, discarding a Pokémon due to lower individual values went against the spirit of being a true trainer.

With the system's help, even a Pokémon with poor individual values could become the strongest in the world, given the proper care and training. After all, the system was called the "Strongest Trainer Development System." The goal wasn't just to find Pokémon with high individual values but to train any Pokémon, even those with lower potential, to become the best. This was likely why the system didn't reveal individual values.

Vulpix had already rested a bit, though its eyes still showed signs of fatigue. It wasn't surprising, given that newborn Pokémon require a lot of rest, and using Extrasensory twice in one day was already pushing its limits.

"That's enough for today, Vulpix. We'll train again tomorrow." With a flash of red light, Vulpix was returned to its Pokéball.

Unconsciously, the sky had already darkened. When Lu Cheng returned home, he found a sumptuous meal laid out on the table, including food specially prepared for Vulpix. His father had carefully selected the ingredients.

"Call Vulpix out! Your old man learned a new recipe for braised Pokéblocks from a colleague today! Let Vulpix try it!" Lu Cheng's father, who was a chef, wasn't a breeder, but he considered them close enough to be in the same field.

Looking at the dish, which resembled glossy braised pork, Lu Cheng found it hard to believe it was actually Pokéblocks.

"Is... is this really a Pokéblock?"

"Of course! My cooking skills—Magmar can vouch for them!" Magmar's cracked face stretched into a grin wide enough to scare a child.

Lu Cheng, unfazed, released Vulpix with a neutral expression. "If you don't like it, just spit it out. No need to spare my dad's feelings," he whispered to Vulpix.

Vulpix hesitated for a moment as it stood on the dining table. Reaching out with a small paw, it grabbed a piece of the "braised pork" and cautiously licked it. After a brief pause, Vulpix suddenly buried its head in the bowl, devouring the food eagerly. Lu Cheng was left dumbfounded.

"See? Your old man's cooking skills are no joke," his dad said proudly.

---

The next day, Lu Cheng brought Vulpix back to the abandoned construction site.

"Let's use Extrasensory again. This time, take it slow and try to control the brick—don't let it fall," he instructed.

Vulpix nodded, its eyes glowing blue once more. As the brick slowly rose into the air, Vulpix's body began to tremble, but it still managed to maintain control.

"Hang in there, Vulpix! You've already beaten yesterday's record!" Lu Cheng encouraged.

Yesterday, Vulpix could only lift the brick to the height of its forehead, but today it had already lifted the brick higher than its own head. Even so, Vulpix wasn't able to manipulate the brick as freely as it wanted. After a minute of holding on, the brick fell and shattered upon hitting the ground. Vulpix's fur was damp with sweat, and Lu Cheng felt a deep sense of sympathy as he wiped it down with a towel, offering it another Berry.

"Don't worry about lifting the brick too high—just keep it close to your head and focus on holding it longer," Lu Cheng advised.

He noticed that Vulpix's Extrasensory had a limited range, roughly around three meters. Beyond that, its power would fail. Of course, with training, Vulpix's psychic strength would grow, expanding the range over time. Compared to yesterday, Vulpix's mental power had made great progress, all thanks to its hard work and determination with each training session. To become a strong trainer, the effort from both the trainer and the Pokémon was indispensable!

And so, the days passed in this routine: attending classes during the day and training after school—until they eventually ran out of Pecha Berries.

On the last day.

"Vulpix, use Extrasensory!" Lu Cheng commanded.

Vulpix let out a cry, its eyes glowing even brighter and more focused than before. A brick was lifted into the air, and under Vulpix's control, it began to fly back and forth around its body. By now, controlling a single brick had become an effortless task for Vulpix!

"We did it, Vulpix!" Lu Cheng shouted, hugging Vulpix tightly, tears of joy glistening in his eyes. Vulpix, equally thrilled, let out a soft whimper of happiness.

As the sun set, the golden light of dusk bathed Vulpix's fur, and the two of them embraced, their shadows stretched long in the evening glow.

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